Bai Jue lifted his head and quickly found the location of the Darkflame Fruit.
At the very center of the undead swarm stood a withered black tree.
Its trunk was dead and dry, yet on its branches hung three fruits.
The fruits were shaped like flickering flames—pitch black, identical in color to the tree itself.
Di Yao shook her head slightly.
"It's not ripe yet. It'll probably need about one more week."
"We should leave for now and come back then."
"A week, huh?"
Bai Jue nodded and asked,
"Then where are we heading next?"
"To a place that'll temper your body," Di Yao replied,
"and train your scythe combat skills."
There was a hint of nostalgia in her eyes.
"I haven't been there in a long time. Let's go."
With that, Di Yao leapt lightly off the tower.
Bai Jue followed without hesitation.
—
They traveled for a long time.
So long, in fact, that nearly an entire day passed before they finally reached their destination.
Looking up, Bai Jue saw a massive mountain looming before them.
Di Yao stopped, reached into the air, and pulled out a headset, tossing it to Bai Jue.
"Put this on and go in by yourself," she said casually.
"From here on out, it's your own trial. I won't accompany you."
"If things get dangerous, I'll step in and save you."
"I'm going alone?"
Bai Jue took the headset, clearly surprised.
"Mm."
Di Yao nodded.
"Deep inside this mountain is a cave. At the very end of that cave is a Ghost Pit—a place where Yin energy is so concentrated that it's condensed into malevolent miasma."
"What you need to do is simple."
"Go there. Jump in."
"Let that terrifying miasma reforge your body."
She glanced at him.
"For you, that place is practically a treasure land. You can even use your Netherworld Authority to absorb the Yin energy. There's a good chance the evil spirits you've already subdued will grow stronger too."
"Hearing it that way, it really does sound like a great place."
Bai Jue nodded and put on the headset.
"Anything else?"
Di Yao rolled her eyes, lit the familiar incense, and extended her hand.
"Let me borrow your scythe."
Bai Jue summoned it at once and handed it over.
The moment Di Yao grasped the scythe, she couldn't help but sigh.
"Tch. What a damn fine weapon."
Then she took a step forward.
From the instant the incense was lit, undead began swarming in from all directions.
Di Yao strode straight into the horde, completely unfazed.
The scythe flashed.
Undead fell like wheat before a reaper.
As she slaughtered them effortlessly, her voice carried over the chaos.
"Scythes have existed since ancient times. The most effective attacks are direct strikes, though horizontal sweeps work just as well."
"A single clean motion is enough to reap an enemy's head."
"We Festival Envoys rarely rely on fixed combat techniques."
"For weapons, all you need is to understand their attack patterns, practice them endlessly, and carve them into your instincts."
"That's enough."
Whoosh—
Her scythe swept horizontally.
A vast swath of undead was cut down in an instant, just like harvesting crops.
Bai Jue watched intently, memorizing every movement.
The scythe had indeed been used as a weapon in many eras—Spain, France, Italy… history was filled with such examples.
He never expected some profound scythe technique anyway.
From the moment he awakened, his path had already been decided.
Overwhelm with numbers.
If he couldn't win head-on—
Then he'd drown the enemy in sheer force.
His abilities were perfectly suited for that.
Di Yao's words made complete sense.
Memorize the attack forms.
Fuse them with one's own combat habits.
Engrave them into muscle memory.
That was enough.
—
Five minutes.
Just five minutes.
Nearly a thousand undead lay destroyed at Di Yao's feet.
She looked completely relaxed as she walked back and tossed the scythe to Bai Jue.
"Got it?" she asked.
"I've got it," Bai Jue replied.
"Good. Then go."
Di Yao popped another lollipop into her mouth.
"I won't be beside you for a while, but I'll still be watching. The headset has a camera—custom made."
"Relax. I'm not watching when you sleep."
Bai Jue twitched.
"I wouldn't want you watching anyway."
"Hmph," Di Yao snorted.
"As if I'd see anything even if I did. You're just a little brat—what's there to look at?"
Bai Jue grinned, scythe resting on his shoulder, and took a step back.
"Teacher, even if I'm small, with your body type… you probably couldn't handle it."
He laughed.
Then he turned and sprinted toward the mountain without hesitation.
Di Yao froze on the spot.
It took her a full few seconds to process what he meant.
Her face instantly turned red.
"You little bastard—YOU'RE DEAD!!!"
—
Hearing her furious roar behind him, Bai Jue's smile only widened.
As he entered the mountain, he found the entire place shrouded in pitch-black Yin energy, as if it had been soaked through by darkness itself.
A place like this was utterly deadly to ordinary people.
Even staying here for a few minutes would result in complete Yin contamination—turning them into something like a corpse monster.
But Bai Jue felt nothing but comfort.
As a Ghost Festival Awakener, his body was highly compatible with Yin energy.
Not only was there no discomfort—he felt refreshed.
Scythe resting on his shoulder, Bai Jue strolled through the mountain.
Suddenly—
ROAR!
A deafening bellow erupted.
From the shadowy forest, a massive figure charged straight at him, jaws wide open, ferocious and grotesque.
Before Bai Jue could even clearly see what it was, his instincts kicked in.
He swung his scythe without hesitation.
"Looking for death!"
Slash—
A black arc tore through the air.
The charging figure was split cleanly in two.
Silence followed.
[Prompt: You were ambushed by a Soul Beast and successfully counter-killed it. Prayer Power has slightly increased.]
[Prompt: You were ambushed by a Soul Beast and successfully counter-killed it. You have obtained a reward: Devour Soul.]
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